Faith Steed Howarth

[The days shortly after her father's death & Lucy's 1^st husband dies}

There were many really quite bad things. That's about when Lucy's husband died. He was killed [in an accident] and that came in also. In a way, while it was horrible, it was a blessing to me because I had a sick mother, a little baby, and two boys and two girls to take care of. When mother had a nurse, I had to wait on her, fix her food and all of that. I don't know how we ever got through that, I really don't. But, it was during that time that I got this telephone call. Our telephone was on the wall, you know. This man said to me, "Your sister Lucy's husband has been killed." I pulled the telephone off the wall and fell on the floor. Mother was in bed, sick with the baby. Then he said, "You must come to her." He didn't let me say a word. He said to be down at a certain place, I can't remember where. There will be a bus coming, you get on that bus and come out. I had never been to that place alone and after dark in my life.

As you can imagine, I didn't dare tell mother. I said, "there's been an accident and I have to go, but I'll come back tomorrow. You see, Grant was only two years younger than 1, so she wasn't left alone and anyhow, I had to make that bus. I got down there - I never in my whole life have been so terribly afraid. He didn't tell me another thing. I got there, there were a whole bunch of men very roughly dressed. You see, they were workmen at the mine, but men and I was the only female on that thing riding out there. I tell you, I suffered, something that I never want to suffer again in my whole life. I was just scared to death. I had no idea where to go when I got off. But, that part was taken care of. The man was waiting for me. So, when I got there, I was all right. He took me to her [Lucy's] house.

The room was just crowded, chairs everywhere and on them women. I thought they were torturing her. That's how I [ .... felt?? ] myself. She was not in there. You see, she had a little girl and a baby - a tiny baby. I understand now that they were trying to comfort her. Anyhow, I brought her to mother. While it was terrible, it was awfully good for her and for mother and for me. Because we weren't alone. All together we could survive it.

I tell you, to take care of the family for a kid of my age was not easy. And mother, bless her little heart, could be unconscious, singing to herself when they doped her. She'd sing, "Doris, Doris, Oh, how I love you, Doris, I love you." She had the baby with her a lot. She did take care of the baby.

Lucy lived with us for a while. She didn't have anything. Something happened to his [her husband, Billy's] insurance.. she didn't even get that. That poor darling. She went through a lot. So, after a while, of course, she had to get a job. Now, she lived with us for quite a while - several months. Then she got a job. You see he had joined the church, came to Utah, sent money and brought his father, his mother, his brothers and sisters over here and even though Lucy was left a widow, they never helped her. They wouldn't even keep the babies.

They were the orneriest people that I ever met. Of course, I didn't like them at all. You know, I had no reason to. But, that's the way it went on.